I want to recommend the 2009 Ultimate Tire & Wheel Guide. This is an annual magazine published by Source Interlink Media and is available now on newsstands.
I have purchased this guide since 2007. The current issue features a plus-sizing chart, several articles, some (good) basic technical info on wheels and tires, and two excellent photo comparisons (one on tire sizes and one on rim lip widths).
The heart of the magazine consists of photos of wheel offerings broken down by manufacturer. This is a great overview of the wheel industry, showing trends in wheel design at a glance. There is also a shorter section on tires.
Even though you may already know some (or all) of the info presented here, at a cost of $6.99, the 2009 Ultimate Wheel & Tire Guide is a great value to anyone selling tires and wheels (and they don't even pay me to say that!). Pick up your copy today!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Improving Your Sales
At its most basic level, a sale is a very simple activity. The buyer has a need or want that can be satisfied by the seller's product or service. To get your sales to the highest level you simply need to find as many needs that your products can fill.
What stands in the way of accomplishing this? Only two things--the customer's reluctance to part with their money and the salesperson's ability to demonstrate how the buyer's need can be met.
The best way to improve your ability to sell is to practice selling. Just like baseball players practice playing baseball, you should be practicing your sales skills everyday. How? The best way to improve is through role playing exercises. Get a manager, a friend, another salesman and play through a few selling situations. One of you is the customer and one is the salesman. Raise a few objections, Practice closing then switch roles and do it again. It's easy!
See my article on ezinearticles.com about sales training: http://ezinearticles.com/?Sales-Success-Through-Role-Playing&id=2222420
What stands in the way of accomplishing this? Only two things--the customer's reluctance to part with their money and the salesperson's ability to demonstrate how the buyer's need can be met.
The best way to improve your ability to sell is to practice selling. Just like baseball players practice playing baseball, you should be practicing your sales skills everyday. How? The best way to improve is through role playing exercises. Get a manager, a friend, another salesman and play through a few selling situations. One of you is the customer and one is the salesman. Raise a few objections, Practice closing then switch roles and do it again. It's easy!
See my article on ezinearticles.com about sales training: http://ezinearticles.com/?Sales-Success-Through-Role-Playing&id=2222420
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Overcoming Objections
Having objections arise during the sales process is a very good thing--it means the customer is still interested in your product or service. As long as they are still talking to you, you have a chance to make the sale.
One type of objection or inquiry you will get regards the customer's preference for a specific brand--a brand that your company doesn't sell. (Obviously if you have the brand and they want it, then you just sell it to them!) If this is raised at the start of the sale, its probably not a real objection.
If the customer starts out with "Do you sell 'Brand-X'?", then I simply reply with "why do you want 'Brand-X'?" Usually its going to come down to either it was recommended by someone, they've used it in the past, or some feature they've seen advertised appeals to them.
For example, the customer has asked for a specific brand and I then ask why she wants that brand. She answers, "my dad was a mechanic and he always used 'Brand-X' tires on his cars."
My reply would be, "Your dad gave you good advice because 'Brand-X' developed some of the early technology that gave them a head start on other manufacturers. One company that has advanced technology in recent years is 'Brand-Y' (your brand). I bet if your father was making a recommendation today, he might recommend 'Brand-Y'."
Instead of attacking the source, I just recast the first brand as good, but outdated and my brand as new and improved. Whatever it is that attracts them to 'Brand-X', you simply turn around and apply to your brand in a greater degree, without attacking the source of their recommendation.
If the customer suddenly expresses a brand preference later in the sales process, perhaps when you are closing, then it is a true objection. Again, simply question to find out what attracts the customer to that brand and apply the same advantage to your brand. I bet you could sit down today and write out several possible responses to this type of objection.
To be good at this technique, you need to know some facts about the brand you carry and competitive brands--but every good salesperson knows that, don't they?
One type of objection or inquiry you will get regards the customer's preference for a specific brand--a brand that your company doesn't sell. (Obviously if you have the brand and they want it, then you just sell it to them!) If this is raised at the start of the sale, its probably not a real objection.
If the customer starts out with "Do you sell 'Brand-X'?", then I simply reply with "why do you want 'Brand-X'?" Usually its going to come down to either it was recommended by someone, they've used it in the past, or some feature they've seen advertised appeals to them.
For example, the customer has asked for a specific brand and I then ask why she wants that brand. She answers, "my dad was a mechanic and he always used 'Brand-X' tires on his cars."
My reply would be, "Your dad gave you good advice because 'Brand-X' developed some of the early technology that gave them a head start on other manufacturers. One company that has advanced technology in recent years is 'Brand-Y' (your brand). I bet if your father was making a recommendation today, he might recommend 'Brand-Y'."
Instead of attacking the source, I just recast the first brand as good, but outdated and my brand as new and improved. Whatever it is that attracts them to 'Brand-X', you simply turn around and apply to your brand in a greater degree, without attacking the source of their recommendation.
If the customer suddenly expresses a brand preference later in the sales process, perhaps when you are closing, then it is a true objection. Again, simply question to find out what attracts the customer to that brand and apply the same advantage to your brand. I bet you could sit down today and write out several possible responses to this type of objection.
To be good at this technique, you need to know some facts about the brand you carry and competitive brands--but every good salesperson knows that, don't they?
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Telephone Sales
For the sales person in a retail tire store, the telephone may very well be the most important sales tool. Can you even imagine a day without the telephone?
When a customer or prospective customer calls your store on the telephone, do you have a method or plan for handling the call? Are you solidly in control of the call? Most importantly, what is your objective when you're on the telephone with a customer?
The old saying "if you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there," applies here. When a customer comes into your store, then you want to sell him or her tires, right? Sure you do! So when a customer calls on the phone, you want to sell them tires also, right? Wrong!
What? Stop and analyze for a moment. Selling tires is a good and profitable thing to do, right? Yes, it is. But what is better then selling tires? Selling labor. Wheel balancing, alignments and other labor services make your shop really profitable. You want the customer to come in to your store!
So when you're on the phone, your primary objective is to get the customer into your shop--not to wrap up a tire sale. What are you telling your customers on the phone? Just as important, what are your competitors telling callers on the phone? (Hint: phone shop your competitors today!) You need to make a plan for getting customers to visit. For a free article on this subject, visit http://ezinearticles.com/?Phone-Sales-Tips-For-Retailers&id=2145202
When a customer or prospective customer calls your store on the telephone, do you have a method or plan for handling the call? Are you solidly in control of the call? Most importantly, what is your objective when you're on the telephone with a customer?
The old saying "if you don't know where you're going, you'll never get there," applies here. When a customer comes into your store, then you want to sell him or her tires, right? Sure you do! So when a customer calls on the phone, you want to sell them tires also, right? Wrong!
What? Stop and analyze for a moment. Selling tires is a good and profitable thing to do, right? Yes, it is. But what is better then selling tires? Selling labor. Wheel balancing, alignments and other labor services make your shop really profitable. You want the customer to come in to your store!
So when you're on the phone, your primary objective is to get the customer into your shop--not to wrap up a tire sale. What are you telling your customers on the phone? Just as important, what are your competitors telling callers on the phone? (Hint: phone shop your competitors today!) You need to make a plan for getting customers to visit. For a free article on this subject, visit http://ezinearticles.com/?Phone-Sales-Tips-For-Retailers&id=2145202
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